Naval bases of the Royal New Zealand Navy

Commissioned naval bases

Military base

A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...

of the Royal New Zealand Navy

Royal New Zealand Navy

The Royal New Zealand Navy is the maritime arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...

from its formation on 1 October 1941 to the present.

The New Zealand Navy follows the British

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

tradition of commissioning

Ship commissioning

Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...

land naval bases as though they were ships. This is not as silly as it might seem at first. The administrative structures that work for a ship work just as well for a land establishment. The commander of a ship can become the commander of a land establishment, and be entirely comfortable with the way the place is run. This simplifies the overall administration of the navy.

For this reason, naval bases are sometimes referred to as stone frigate

Stone frigate

Stone frigate is a nickname for a naval establishment on land. The term has its origin in Britain's Royal Navy after its use of Diamond Rock, off Martinique, as a 'sloop of war' to harass the French...

s. In earlier times or in wartime, naval bases actually were ships. HMS Philomel

HMS Philomel (1890)

HMS Philomel was a Pearl-class cruiser. She was the sixth ship of that name and served with the Royal Navy from her commissioning in 1890 until 1914, when she was transferred to the New Zealand Navy with whom she served until 1947...

was an old cruiser

Cruiser

A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...

which functioned as New Zealand's first naval base. HMNZS Kahu

HMNZS Kahu (P3571)

HMNZS Kahu I was a Fairmile B motor launch of the Royal New Zealand Navy.Originally commissioned on 20 December, 1943, with the pendant number Q 411, she was part of the 80th Motor Launch Flotilla...

was a Fairmile B motor launch

Fairmile B motor launch

The Fairmile B motor launch was a type of Motor Launch built by Fairmile Marine during the Second World War for the Royal Navy for coastal operations.-Design:...

, and it functioned as an administrative base for the fairmile flotillas during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.

It is also in this tradition for land establishments to be associated with one or more "name ships". However this association is largely ceremonial.

List of bases

Name	Name ships	Dates	Location	Notes
HMNZS Cook	Harptree HDML 1183	1943–1944 1944-1946	Clyde Quay, Wellington Wellington Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range... Shelly Bay, Wellington Wellington Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
HMNZS Cook II	HMNZS Kahu HMNZS Kahu (P3571) HMNZS Kahu I was a Fairmile B motor launch of the Royal New Zealand Navy.Originally commissioned on 20 December, 1943, with the pendant number Q 411, she was part of the 80th Motor Launch Flotilla...	1943–1944	Solomon Islands Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...	Administrative base for Fairmile flotillas
HMNZS Dockyard		?–current
HMNZS Irirangi	SDML P3554	1951–1993	Waiouru Waiouru Waiouru is a small town in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. It is on the North Island Volcanic Plateau, 25 kilometres south-east of Mount Ruapehu, and in the Ruapehu District....	Formerly Waiouru W/T Station. Radio intercept station
HMNZS Ngapona		?–current	Auckland	Naval Reserve Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve The Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal New Zealand Navy .-Early history:The first Naval Volunteer units were formed in Auckland and Nelson in 1858. Over the rest of the 19th century Naval Volunteer units were formed in various ports such as Bluff,... training base Has a satellite unit at Tauranga
HMNZS Olphert		?–current	Wellington	Naval Reserve Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve The Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal New Zealand Navy .-Early history:The first Naval Volunteer units were formed in Auckland and Nelson in 1858. Over the rest of the 19th century Naval Volunteer units were formed in various ports such as Bluff,... training base
HMNZS Pegasus		?–current	Christchurch	Naval Reserve Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve The Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal New Zealand Navy .-Early history:The first Naval Volunteer units were formed in Auckland and Nelson in 1858. Over the rest of the 19th century Naval Volunteer units were formed in various ports such as Bluff,... training base
HMNZS Philomel HMNZS Philomel HMNZS Philomel is the main administrative naval baseof the Royal New Zealand Navy. Originally a training base on board the cruiser it takes its name from, it is part of the Devonport Naval Base in North Shore City, Auckland, New Zealand.-History:...	HMNZS Philomel	1923–1941 1941–1947 1947–current	Devonport Devonport Naval Base Devonport Naval Base is the home of the Royal New Zealand Navy, located at Devonport, New Zealand on Auckland's North Shore. It is currently the only base of the navy that operates ships, and was a navy base from as far back as 1841...	Was HMS Philomel HMS Philomel (1890) HMS Philomel was a Pearl-class cruiser. She was the sixth ship of that name and served with the Royal Navy from her commissioning in 1890 until 1914, when she was transferred to the New Zealand Navy with whom she served until 1947... Main RNZN Logistics and Training Base
HMNZS Philomel II		1948–1953	Wellington Wellington Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...	Renamed Wakefield
HMNZS Tamaki Motuihe Island Motuihe Island lies between Motutapu and Waiheke islands in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand, near Auckland. The island measures about , of which around are remnants of coastal forest. The island is a recreation reserve controlled by the Department of Conservation and administered by the Motuihe...		1941–1963 1963–2000	Motuihi Island Fort Cautley, Narrow Neck	Training base Training base Now part of HMNZS Philomel
HMNZS Tasman		1944–1956 1975–?	Lyttelton Lyttelton, New Zealand Lyttelton is a port town on the north shore of Lyttelton Harbour close to Banks Peninsula, a suburb of Christchurch on the eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand.... Devonport Devonport Naval Base Devonport Naval Base is the home of the Royal New Zealand Navy, located at Devonport, New Zealand on Auckland's North Shore. It is currently the only base of the navy that operates ships, and was a navy base from as far back as 1841...
HMNZS Toroa		?–current	Dunedin	Naval Reserve Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve The Royal New Zealand Naval Volunteer Reserve is the volunteer reserve force of the Royal New Zealand Navy .-Early history:The first Naval Volunteer units were formed in Auckland and Nelson in 1858. Over the rest of the 19th century Naval Volunteer units were formed in various ports such as Bluff,... training base
HMNZS Wakefield		1954–current	Wellington Wellington Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...	Command and administration staff for naval personnel resident outside the Greater Auckland area. Formerly Philomel II
HMNZS Waiouru		1943–1951	Waiouru Waiouru Waiouru is a small town in the centre of the North Island of New Zealand. It is on the North Island Volcanic Plateau, 25 kilometres south-east of Mount Ruapehu, and in the Ruapehu District....	W/T Station. Renamed Irirangi

List of bases

See also